“What a difference a day makes,” Krystan said, rapping a knuckle on the small slip of paper that fell out of the menu. What I thought would have specials of the day printed on it, instead saidin the event of supernatural entities, all patrons will be moved inside.
Krystan snorted. “Even has a little picture of a fairy with a crossed-out circle over it, isn’t that cute?” She put the paper down. “But have you seen the creepy little suckers? We came across a gang of little drunk fairies with razor wings, nasty fuckers. Almost cut me up into ribbons on a couple occasions.”
I briefly wondered what it would feel like to suck up an entire fairy swarm.No, bad Emma. We are off the clock. No obsessing over Othanos or fantasizing about sucking up fairies.
“Is that the time you burned down someone’s house?” I asked before grabbing my water glass to take a large gulp.
Krystan glowered at me and mumbled, “It didn’t burn down completely.
Instead of teasing her any further, I said, “So any more thought given to what you are going to name the bean when he or she comes out?”
“Do we have to talk about this?”
“Excuse me for trying to bring up a topic that isn’t slicing and dicing ghouls. We can’t talk shop all the time.”
“Yes, we can,” Krystan said, putting her menu up in front of her face as if she could keep me out.
Reaching over, I pushed down her makeshift wall. “You’re deflecting, and it’s my responsibility as your friend to make sure you give that baby a decent name.”
“I was kidding about naming the baby, Princess Blood Bath. Mostly...” Krystan shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. Based on how often she rearranged her bony butt whenever she sat down these days, she was in a lot of pain with all that extra weight on her body. She rarely complained, but I knew my best friend was two hundred percent over being pregnant. Whether she was actually ready to meet her baby was another matter.
“Does Travis know that? Does your gran?” I didn't mention that I wasn’t entirely convinced she wouldn’t try to screw her kid up with a name she picked for no other reason than it was hilarious or weird.
She grinned, and that mad sparkle I knew all too well gleamed from her eye. That twinkle usually appeared before she suggested her more insane ideas. I learned was that look meant when she suggested we start a small but containable fire at Wesley Brigg’s house after I’d gone on only one date with him. Admittedly, her idea was slightly tempting. Wesley had not only forced me to pay for the whole meal because all of his cards were rejected, but he also had me drive him the hour home because he had a friend drop him off and didn’t plan on a ride back. He’d planned on spending the night at my place. Krystan had been dead serious about committing arson. She had a touch of insanity about her. It was one of the reasons I loved her. She was unlike anyone else, a fireball in a field of fireflies.
Since my life had completely flipped on its head with all the magic, secret Orders, and soul-sucking demons, she was practically a pussy cat by comparison.
“Do you think if I suggested an even worse name that gran would apparate more often to scold Travis about it?” she asked.
“So you are trying to goad your grandmother from beyond the grave just to stay in contact?”
At first she tried to fold her arms over her stomach but when she realized they wouldn’t comfortably fit that way, she settled for gripping the arms of her chair. “Can you believe this bullshit where Travis can see her and I can’t?”
“He’s not doing it on purpose.”
We paused when the waiter came to take our order. I couldn’t help but notice the spray bottle hanging off his apron. Probably full of holy water. It was a common practice these days. Salt also lined the perimeter of the restaurant. Both were effective depending on what supernatural element you were faced with. I had some in my purse as well.
When he leaned over to take our menus, the big gold cross he wore dangled, catching the afternoon light. The beings from the Stygian were averse to items of any kind of faith and typically avoided temples, churches, and other places of worship. To say there was a resurgence in religion was an understatement. Many people claimed crystals and essential oils were just as good at warding off evil. Calan explained that simply by the collective belief those items protected them, imbued those objects with power. When I asked if enough people believed lamps kept the baddies away if that would work? He nodded but caveated that a great number of people or an abnormal will-driven belief had to be behind the item. Belief coupled with long stretches of time marinated objects like a steak, except instead of becoming more flavorful they grew more powerful.
“It’s still not fair.” Krystan shifted in her chair again. “He gets to talk to my grandma, and all I can do is tell when people are bullshitting me.”
“You are still evading the question. What are you going to name the baby? I know you. If you wait until you are on the spot, you’ll do something impulsive.”
“Fine, if it’s a girl, we’ll name her Marilyn, after my gran. There, are you happy?”
When the waiter dropped off a plate of bread, Krystan tore into it like a starving woman, but I suspected she was trying to get her mouth full enough to avoid talking about this anymore.
Breaking off a bit of bread for myself, I shook it at her. “And if it’s a boy?”
Pointing to her food-filled chipmunk cheeks, to indicate she couldn’t talk, I popped my own piece of bread in my mouth and chewed, staring her down and waiting for her to finish and answer my question.
When she finally swallowed, she threw up her hands. “I don't know if it’s a boy, okay? It’s probably a girl anyway.”
“But what if it’s not?”
“It’s not like there are a bunch male role models in my or Travis’ life.”
Nodding, I didn’t press on that. She’d finally shared with Travis about her family history and why her gran was the one to raise her. To say it wasn’t pretty was an understatement, and Krystan shared with me in confidence that Travis’ parents weren’t any prize either.
